Improvement in car-starters



CHARLES P. LEAviTT.

Improved Car Starter.

Patented Dec. 5, 1871.

Jag. z

PATE

CHARLES P. LEAVITT, OF NEW YORK', N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent'No. 121,635, dated December 5, 11571 antedated November 25, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLns P. LEAvTr, of N ew York, and the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement for Starting Gars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon forming a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention can be best understood by reference to the following description:

Figure 1 is a plan of the starter as applied to a common street-car. The cord Yis broken away for a short distance so as not to confuse the drawing. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line X Z, in Fig. 1. In this ligure the fixed brace m is removed.

A A/ and B B are four wheels of the car fast on their axles d b in the ordinary manner. The wheel A has cast within it an inside ratchet, acted on by the pawls O O', which are carried by the revolving arms c c. Immediately adjoining these arms is the spiral windlass or fusee G and the drum C. The arms c and c', the fusee C, and the drum C are all cast in` one piece and turn together loosely upon the axle d. S S are two friction-wheels, made of wood with end grain out, or of metal. They are rmly secured to the shaft s. This shaft is suspended so as to turn freely in the lower bea-rings of the swin ging' arms n n, which in their turn are suspended from the stationary cross-braces m m, as shown. These arms are acted on by a spring, la, that tends to swing the frictionwheels away from the carwheels AA. The swinging arms n n are iirmly connected at their lower ends by the cross-piece p, from the center of which the cord or chain p leads to the horizontal rod r in the front of the car, where it is geared by miter-wheels to the upright rod r. This rod is fitted with a crankhandle, and by turning this the cord p is wound on the rod r, and by its action on the cross-piece povercomes the resistance of the spring li' and presses the friction-rollers rmly against the carwheels. The shaft s has the small drum O iirmly keyed upon it. The strap H has one end firmly attached to the drum O and the other to the drum C. It is long enough to be wound three or four times around the larger drum. It is a strong spring made of rubber, capable of receiving a large extension. The rubber is fastened to the car-frame at one end, and at the other is attached firmly to the long cord Y, which is carried over the direction-drum l and then to the fusee C, where it is firmly secured at the beginning of the spiral groove at the highest part of the cone, as shown. When the car is in motion in the direction of the arrows the attachments are all in the position shown in the drawing, the frictionwheels clear of the car-wheel and the fnsee stationary, with the ratchet running ahead of the pawls. The length of the strap H is so made that at this point, where it is unwound from the drum O, the cord Y is not quite unwound from the fusee, so that the spring has tension enough to keep the cord from sagging. If, now, while the car is in motion, it be desired to stop it the brake-handle is to be turned so as to wind the cord p our and press the wheels S S iirlnly against the wheelsAA. The friction between the wheels will at once cause the wheels S to turn and wind up the strap H on the small drum 0, and, of course, unwinding it from the large druln U', which, together with the fusee and pawl-arms, turn in an olliposite, direction to the wheels A A. Simultaneous with the unwinding of the strap from the drum C the cord Y is wound on the fusee C, thereby extending thel spring It. Since the cord Y, in following the course ofthe groove in the fusee, travels nearer the center ofthe axle the friction-wheels have a continually-increasing leverage upon the spring, a provision rendered necessary by the fact that the spring offers a continually-increasing resistance as it is extended. By the time the spring is extended as much as it will bear the strap H is unwound from the drum C to where it is secured at the end to that drinn 5 hence no further extension of the sp1-ing can take place; and if the car continues to advance the wheels A A must either slip upon the track or upon the friction-wheels S S. lf, now, the brake be released the springk at once throws the wheels S S out of contact with the wheels A A', when the whole force of the spring R is exerted on the fusee to turn it ahead 5 but the pawls O O', catching at once in the ratchet within the car-wheel, compel that wheel to turn in that direction with the fusee, and thus the force of the spring is exerted to startthe car ahead. lVhile the cord Y is being unwound from the fusee the strap H is rewound on the drum Cf, being at the same time unwound from the drum O, thus turning the Wheels S S :is many times nhond as thoy were turnod but-,k by th(x whovls A A". At'tvr tho spring has thus oxvrtvd its 'orco tlnl nppnrntlls is in the position shown in th(l drawing', rondy for the next operation. In this starter thu power of the spring1 muy bu vonocntrntvd to start the oar in loss space tlmn it stoppvd in by simpl)v varying the proportion ot' tho ports (V und 0.

A stoel or other spring may bo usvd in plnvo ot" i described, and for the purpose set forth.

rubber, und in nspring;v ot' short rnngo l mnltiplv its motion by passing th(x cord Y into n sot ot' blocks ot' sovernl pulleys. und while om1 blook is hold fast on thv trnmo tht` spring' m'ts on tlnl othvr block to svpnrntu rhum.

common ohniivbolt hvtwoon the drums und C in plnoo ot tlnx strnp H; ond, lastly, I von dispenso altogether with tho t'riotion-wlwols S S und shaft s, und place thv drnm 0 loosol)v on tho shaft b by simplY adding,l to the long'th otl the strop H l also mn nsoy n and then by means of a friction or other clutch throw thv drum into gear with the shaft b whon l wish to stop the cnr, and out; of gear when I wish to start it. The form here shown I, however, conceive to be the best.

What I claim :is my invention, and desire to l. The t'nsvo C, in combination with the car axle d, oord Y, :1nd spring R, substantially as L. The t'rictioirwheels S, in combination with the strop H, tho drum U and fuso@ C upon the cnr-axle fl, snbstnntinll)rv as described, and for the purpose sot forth.

CHARLES P. LEAVITT.

Vv'itnossos:

W. F. STEARNS, (Juris. HALLETT CLARK. 

